Dees_In_October

The disrespect shown to AFLW members by the AFL (and some clubs, not Melbourne) has been pretty bad of late. Like, there have definitely been many, many stuff-ups and ridiculous decisions over the seven years of this league, but for the most part (despite plenty of valid venting!), paid-up fans have been willing to put up with it and be patient, in the view that these are teething problems, etc., etc., and that the most important thing is to expose new audiences even if that means alienating the core. But at this point, I agree, there's almost a sense of resignation about the lack of vision. It's not even about people's individual ability to go to games, it's about decisions being made that clearly hold back the competition and the complete lack of transparency and communication about those decisions. Excuses are wearing thin. No one's asking for miracles (you know, like a season where everyone plays each other). Just the most basic planning. If they don't have a concrete policy that sets a reasonable standard for finals venues by next season, and the planning to back that up, well, we'll know where we really stand. Personally, I quite like the Grand Final going to the higher ranked team. I think it's fair and good for the game nationally. BUT the policy should be that if a club/league can't provide an adequate venue in their own city, then the club forfeits the right and Princes(s) Park is secured in advance as the back-up. Why they didn't have such a decision in place prior to or during this season given the many obvious clashes because of the change of timing, is just so baffling. Fans have been raising this potential problem since the timing change was announced, then every week as Brisbane sat atop the ladder, with zero response.

Got my tickets! Feeling a bit nervous...but if we bring our best, we can do it.

Also please vote for Purcell and Bannan in the AFLW Fan Awards: https://www.womens.afl/fan-awards Purcell - Most improved player Bannan - Match Winning moment

Training photos - West looks unhampered by the leg issue from Friday night, L.Pearce still has shoulder strapping but participated. Not related to finals, but something nice to see in our week off

So many of the best players in the league are under 22. It makes it less of an 'encouragement' award than in the men's, though obviously it will shift over time. I definitely looked up Zanker's DOB to check eligibility!

If Paxy makes it and Kearney doesn't (unlikely?), that would bring them back even in AAs.

I was going to go and check out the oppo. I guess they didn't want my money? Also, I'd be pretty annoyed if I was one of only (presumably) a couple of thousand RIchmond members, and didn't even get a ticket to this game. Way to treat your members. There are problems with venue availability. Apparently, most options have been ruled out:

This sums up the vibe in the crowd for me. Just watching a regulation set shot and then everyone went off. She had every single person in the stadium fooled except perhaps blood relatives: Loved this as well. Great, humble team attitude (and Mithen hamming it up, of course!) Watching the replay I was looking out for what we did to deal with Marinoff. No direct tag but denied the footy (though she made up for it with tackles). And it's a trend: Also enjoyed on the replay how our players handled the niggle throughout the game and particularly in the last quarter. Flew the flag, not intimidated, but no one was sucked in - they did their best to get Harris. And Hore going in to help Daisy (not that she needs it) - bit of full circle stuff there and so much respect.

Tells the tale:

Us all right now: Gutsy win after a glacial start. They were running wild by the end. Crowd was pumped! Main thoughts: - How was Mithen still standing at the end of that game and, in fact, chatting without a care in the world with fans on the boundary, Thought she was a goner early! - Bannan. Some of the most breathtaking (and heart-in-mouth!) footy you'll see. At the point now where the crowd eggs her on, although that step around the mark was just next level. When she controls that last disposal on the run more often, look out. - Tackling pressure after quarter time. Could name many examples here, but Kate Hore on the wing, epic. Midfield worked super hard to turn the game, all the usual suspects. Heath rapidly becoming one of those. - Chaplin, Birch, Gillard all with some great moments as we wrestled back control. Lampard cool in a crisis. Mackin has absolutely no right to be as good as she is, months into her football career. Goldie tough as nails but with that speed, a rare combo. - Daisy had an almost game with the footy but still so many of those little things and the leadership that's not quantifiable. - By the last quarter, we simply outworked them, even in contests where we were severely outnumbered - never say die stuff! - Have no idea what went on late in the last (on the other side of the field) but it seemed spicy! GO DEES!

Best of luck for all! The Demon Army are the best cheer squad in the AFLW. Vocal, prepared for any weather, customised chants, and banners week in, week out when very few teams have them. The vibe created is a big part of the "love" part of my love-hate relationship with Casey Fields! Speaking of which, does anyone know what the renovations are that are underway? The surface itself it great, they only just did the training facilities a while back, so I'm guessing the existing changerooms?

There have been some very small crowds at Casey this season, but I guess it's all relative. Our average would have got a big boost from the MCG game, around 15,000 or so, which felt like some creative counting since it was a double header. Will be very interested to see the numbers this Friday night. A great opportunity for those westside and northside for whom Casey is like a day's journey away!

Looked up the match review because I knew, just KNEW there'd be something from that "incident". Well done to Heath for that being her first offence given how she plays - great tackle technique.

I reckon North have also improved and built a lot of form since we played them as well... Have my tickets, and hope lots of Dees fans go along. Not our home ground, but let's make it one!

Wow I don't think I've recovered from that game yet. Up there with the most bizarre footy matches I've ever seen. From the percentage chase to the half time sideways deluge, to that incredibly frustrating ending, has there ever been a more enthralling 78-point victory? Other have already vented the frustration, so I won't add to it except to say that I admired the team's reaction in the moment in what would have been very disappointing circumstances (regardless of what they said). Also thought that their attitude in the game itself was great. Ruthless but humble is how I'd describe it, with respect for a clearly outclassed opponent without ever showing mercy. ANYWAY, so glad for Mackin to get her goal. Loved it. Heath too. Zanker - confidence plus and equal third in the season goalkicking is nothing to sneeze at (13 is one better than in her previous five seasons combined, albeit shorter and some midfield seasons in there). Harris in the ruck has been pivotal. Shout out also to Chaplin, who has taken her chance and cemented her spot in her first year - her penetrating kick could become a weapon. Hore's pressure up forward set a great standard. Birch and Gillard are growing into a formidable combo. You can only play who's in front of you, and it seems the coaches have not allowed for bad habits to creep in structurally against some weaker opponents where a less stringent adherence would probably still reap rewards. Hopefully this pays dividends against stronger attacks and when the real pressure comes. By all means, we're capable of better, but this gives some context to our accuracy woes. Like Brisbane, we generate more shots, kick more goals...but also more behinds. Of course, against poor teams where we can lock the ball forward, a point often becomes a seven-point play and then likely possession again from the middle. That won't be the case against teams better at exiting and clearances.

Congrats to Gillard, well deserved Another milestone: That brings Kate into the top 5 alongside and ahead of some players who get lots more kudos. Check out 17th - Duffy! Very respectable average. And 18th, our old friend Scott - she's revived form to kick 7 for Geelong this season, good for her. .

1 point off! Not yet! Never forget that she kicked a goal with her first kick in a game of footy during the praccy match against Carlton. I've got high hopes for her to snag one before season's end - and she seems keen to get one. Just got the job done in this one. Frustrating that our one chance against an expansion side came in such conditions though. But flipping that on its head, our percentage is impressive considering that - plus the fact that Essendon is easily the best of the new teams. Way too many kids eating ice creams in the wind turbine of Casey Fields that itself turned into a bit of an ice block after half time. Good choice on the long sleeve jumpers by L.Pearce, Bannan and Sherriff. The preemptive tape on Paxy and Mithen was also a good look. Our intensity at the contest at the start was top notch to start and almost difficult to maintain though they stuck at it. There was some champagne ball movement, as well as some overly ambitious stuff that won't fly against better opposition. Seemed like a few undisciplined acts (or words?) occurred, but I was too far away to see them. My money's on Birch though for at least one of them. Related to that, off-season, after a respectful post-Daisy time, it would be interesting to discuss the options for our next captain. Hanks was everywhere, Paxman breaking lines with abandon, Gillard had some good stops, Heath is a big improver this season (again) and Bannan had the crowd around me super pumped especially early. Great spoil late by Mackin who finds more involvement every week. A few had quiet days (Fitzsimon, Zanker, Goldrick to some extent) but hopefully that keeps us hungry. Looking forward to Lampard's 50th game next week. Well deserved, and hopefully in front of a more Demons-dominated crowd than this week. Get there, Dees fans!

Some pre-game light reading - covers our progression and remarkable consistency since Season 1, with some interesting stats and good signs for the future: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-21/melbourne-demons-aflw-premiership-window-wide-open/101555732 And a nice stat showing our pressure game's impact on other teams' ball use (lesser/no effect on North, Brisbane and Freo but around 8% otherwise):

Agree. There's no one waiting in the wings with a similar output and better fitness. Has done really well off a long time out of the game. Her and Daisy down there is a bit of a worry speed-wise though, so who knows.

Colvin joins the 'first post-injury run' club! Plenty of time before next season to tick all the boxes. Of course it wouldn't be a training video without there being something alarming to notice like... Duffy in a moonboot!

Yes, that was awesome! But...I think those comments were referring to the draft for the first AFLW season, when Melbourne had to re-select Daisy as a marquee signing - players didn't automatically carry over from the exhibition series, e.g. Ellie Blackburn who was a Demon in 2013 and signed as a marquee player for the Bulldogs for 2017. Daisy clearly had some sway! But I guess the luck/chance came into it way back when Daisy was drafted to us for the exhibition games, which set in motion that connection and not wanting to play anywhere else. Going back that step further, that draft order was decided (Wikipedia tells me!) by a coin toss. Whoever got the first pick was obviously always going to select Daisy. So whoever called that toss is the one we should be thanking!

Ah the reverse jinx, works every time! Great win, especially considering the outs. Didn't miss a beat really. 15/21 who played in the GF earlier this year. How good is Purcell? I reckon even those who recruited her over wouldn't have expected such an output. Special mention to Mithen and Heath who upped the ante in others' absence. Same for Caris who came in with the right attitude for her opportunity (5 tackles) and will find game time one way or another next season. Staying on the tackles, West (11), Hanks (8) and Lampard (7) were great in that regard and certainly weren't alone. Mackin - she kicked a pretty special goal with her first kick on debut (that's debut in footy, not just the club!) in the practice game at the G against Carlton and she was so close again, her feet just got a bit ahead of her. Exciting stuff. Speaking of exciting, Zanker out of the ruck should have been a GOTY contender, but I guess I'm pretty biased. Overall, our field kicking was perhaps the best I've ever seen by us and potentially in the league - kicking to space, kicking to advantage, kicking to pinpoint, and being able to switch up between options. Excellent vibe around Daisy's 50th, only wish it could have been at home. We should look back at the day she was drafted to Melbourne as a very important one in our club history. She could have been a Bulldog and quite seriously, I think our team would be on a different trajectory - her fingerprints are all over our culture. This video captures the love and respect going both ways between captain and teammates (and gives a glimpse of what's going on under Paxman's bandage, yikes):

Noticed that Eliza's been on the bench doing some kind of role a few games this season. She'll come back with something extra from that. It'd be a tough injury to deal with but looks like she's handled it all well and making strides now, with a grin, of course, no surprise there! Will be a massive in for 2023.

It's a case of the comments being a great example of why it's so important. Love the way AFLW has taken the lead on this and how it's grown from a game to a round and even some pretty cool merch this year in the Demon Shop. Lots of people feel welcome at AFLW that don't at the men's, which is a great shame and hopefully something that can gradually be turned around.